1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a universal electrical module that improves ease and speed of installation of electrical devices during building construction. More specifically, the present invention relates to a universal electrical module that facilitates the installation of different types of an electrical device by enabling a technician to simply insert prongs that extend from each of the electrical devices into matching slots on the universal electrical module.
2. Description of Related Art
In the building industry, electrical boxes are typically installed during the framing of the building structure. Conduits such as electrical wires are drawn to the electrical boxes after the boxes are installed and connect the electrical boxes with each other and with a power disconnect, such as a circuit breaker. Instead, the individual electrical devices are lodged in the electrical boxes only after the wallboards are applied to the framing members. Such devices include single pole switches, three way switches, four way switches, and receptacles, which must all conform to U.S. building regulations related both to device construction and device installation.
The installation of each electrical device is a laborious task that is generally performed by hand by a trained electrician. As a building contains different types of electrical devices, each type of device must be connected to different connector wires inside the electrical box in order to operate properly, and the unused wires remaining in the electrical box are typically spliced together with a WIRE-NUT® brand twist on wire connector or similar components.
At the end of the installation process, all the wires within the electrical box are compressed inside the box by pushing the electrical device into the box. Power is prevented from flowing within the building circuit during the installation process, in order to protect the installation technicians, and is eventually released into the building circuit when the installation of the electrical devices is completed and the circuit is closed.
Therefore, there is a need to reduce the amount of handwork required to install electrical devices and to splice and connect wires after wallboard application.
There is also a need to reduce the level of skill required for the installation of electrical devices, and for the change-over from one type of device to another.
There is a further need to generate a flow of power as early as possible during the construction process, in order to have easy access to power.
There is an additional need to be able to install electrical devices without interrupting the flow of power once power has been released into the circuit.